Who's going to tap Sachin on the shoulder? Nobody in India

Geoff Lawson

The forthcoming Indo-Aussie Test series presents major challenges for both teams. India have recently lost 2-1 to England on home soil after winning the opening Test. Two conclusions come from that result: that England are tough, confident and classy, and that India are on the wane and are vulnerable.

As Steve Waugh once said: ''India is the final frontier'' (for his all-conquering team) having lost in 2001 courtesy of V.V.S. Laxman and 'The Wall', also known as Rahul Dravid, batting for several days when they had taken all before them.

Time to admit defeat? … Indian star Sachin Tendulkar hasn't scored a ton in nearly two years. Photo: Brendan Esposito

Waugh's team finally broke through in 2004 when Sachin Tendulkar's top score was 55 over 10 innings. England faced the same adage and won (have I mentioned that they also have the Ashes?).

Recently India have faced similar issues to Australia. They have an ageing and declining team, and the loss of experienced personnel - and form - by those still getting selected adds up to a fall or at least a stumble in the rankings. Australia lost the genii of Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath while hanging onto a declining Ricky Ponting, the sum of which was a crash from top dog to doghouse in the Test rankings. The Australian selectors, now removed, could not find policy nor personnel to rebuild and the current office holders are showing sure signs of familial confusion.

India have lost Anil Kumble, Dravid and Laxman to retirement. These legends have seen the light but Tendulkar still turns up to team meetings like a moth in an asbestos suit circling an acetylene torch. Zaheer Khan keeps running in but the end is nigh for the admirable swing bowler. Spin has been seen as the short-term and interminable response from selectors and grounds staff. When in doubt, revert to type. But India have been beaten at their own dusty game and that result gives Australia significant hope.

The Indian selectors faced a people's revolution when they made the courageous decision to drop the Prince of Kolkata, Sourav Ganguly, even though Greg Chappell suggested the removal a year or three earlier, but it was the correct move. Ganguly, originally miffed and sulking, soon realised he was a fading star and no one plays forever. Dravid elegantly and gracefully departed the national team and Laxman joined him in exits befitting great players and gentlemen. The core of a great team was gutted and the rookies are yet to settle.

Advertisement

Virender Sehwag, 34, and Tendulkar, 39, remain at the top of the order. Tendulkar has not made a Test 100 in 33 Tests and nearly two years. His struggles last summer in Australia were well recorded as he chased the facile and artificial 100th international century. He had lost his dominance and lacked his flow. The extra bounce of Australian pitches were suggested as factors in his failures but on previous tours he had little problem mastering bounce, turn, swing, seam or cyclones. The Little Master looked bridled for a lush sponsorship pasture 12 months ago; the grass has only grown higher since. But who is going to tap the maker of 15,000 and some Test runs on the shoulder and suggest it is time for tyros, not jaded veterans? I cannot imagine a simple Indian national cricket selector even mentioning the unmentionable, let alone executing the deed.

Board chairmen constantly lose arguments with Tendulkar and politicians romance him with expectations he will favour their party or patronage. He is the most powerful human being on the sub-continent. If anyone can move mountains, Sachin - with a little help from his fans - will do so. He could even get ABC Radio the rights to cover the series. If he can drag himself up off the canvas for one last hurrah, India may rally around him. Conversely, he has the gravitas to drag the team down if he can't break into a run-scoring canter. He recently made a century for Mumbai in the Irani Trophy and has two tons in four matches. So the appetite, unsurprisingly, remains for lengthy occupations in first-class cricket. If the Australian fast men can get at him early, the slowing reflexes will be tested. If he has a decent series, it may be a signal to retire somewhere near the top. However you look at him, the decision will be none other than his.

Harbhajan Singh has been relieved and retrieved to accompany left-hand orthodox slow man Pragyan Ojha and the complement off-spinner cum finger flicker Ravichandran Ashwin. Spin is not a problem for India, especially on home surfaces, although Kevin Pietersen dominated them with ultra-aggressive batting. Australia have only a wounded Michael Clarke to assume that role, albeit with a scalpel rather than a sabre. Australia's left-handers will find trouble with Ashwin and Harbhajan turning away to slip. Gautam Gambhir has been dropped after two years of averaging 30 and the youthful Shikhar Dhawan gets an opening slot with grizzled Sehwag. Leggie Piyush Chawla misses out on the first two Tests at least and the third spinner becomes all-rounder and left-arm finger spinner Ravindra Jadeja. Jadeja is the style of player Australia are trying to mould through Glenn Maxwell. The main issue with that call is that Nathan Lyon is the first preference spinner, an off spinner at that.

Maxwell's 27 wickets in 15 first-class games hardly looks like an adequate track record for bowling at batsmen weaned on slow stuff. The selectors should look at the national first-class statistics, where they will find the ideal candidate in Stephen O'Keefe (78 wickets at 27 from 27 matches) but their blind spot has extended from Doug Bollinger and Dan Christian onward to over-exposure to Xavier Doherty's limited-overs methods. He bats at number 11.

Virat Kohli was feisty and successful last summer in Australia and is quickly assuming the mantle of the keystone batsmen. He is young and aggressive - just the style India need to maintain a home mental edge that Tendulkar championed for so long. Cheteshwar Pujara has been the most recent young-gun find for India and is averaging 58 in his first nine Tests. He was most impressive fending off Jimmy Anderson and holding the middle order together. The fortunes of he and Kohli may well shape the series outcome if the veterans run aground.

India have a new batting order with Gambhir omitted and will not be comforted by Tendulkar or Sehwag's form. Sounds familiar, but at least they have some spin bowlers in form and in familiar conditions, and that may make the difference between two teams coming to terms with England's dominance.